Seneca the Younger Biography

Seneca the Younger, Statesman
Born asLucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger
Known asSeneca
Occup.Statesman
FromRome
Born5 BC
Córdoba, Hispania Baetica (now Spain)
Died65 AC
Rome
Early Life
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, also called Seneca the Younger, was born in Corduba (now Cordoba, Spain) around 4 BC, although some sources claim he was born in Rome. His father, Seneca the Elder, was a popular orator and teacher of rhetoric, while his mother, Helvia, was from a popular and wealthy household.

Seneca had 2 brothers, Lucius Annaeus Novatus (later embraced by the Roman politician Marcus Junius Gallio) and Annaeus Mela. They were all sent to Rome for their education, where Seneca the Younger studied rhetoric, approach, and law under different teachers, notably Sextii, the founder of a popular philosophical school.

Philosophical and Literary Career
Seneca became attracted to the philosophy of Stoicism, which highlighted the value of self-control, factor, and discipline for keeping a virtuous life. While in his twenties, Seneca began a successful career as a statesman, orator, and author. He also became a senator and taken part in political disputes at the Roman Senate.

Seneca wrote numerous letters, essays, and disasters. Many of his works such as "De Vita Beata" and "Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium" discuss a large range of philosophical issues, including ethics, ethical values, and the significance of life. Some of his well-known significant works consist of the tragedies "Hercules Furens", "Thyestes", and "Phaedra", which were understood for their ethical undertones and strong feelings.

Exile and Return
In AD 41, Seneca ended up being involved in a political scandal and was implicated of adultery with the emperor's sis, Julia Livilla. Though the charges were likely false, Emperor Caligula exiled Seneca to the island of Corsica. Throughout his exile, Seneca continued to compose on viewpoint and corresponded of consolation to his household, who had actually remained in Rome.

In AD 49, Seneca was remembered to Rome by the brand-new emperor, Claudius, and his spouse, Empress Agrippina the Younger. It is extensively believed that it was the empress who pushed for Seneca's return so that he may tutor her kid, the young Nero. As an outcome, Seneca got the title of praetor and resumed his position as an essential statesman in Rome.

Tutoring Nero and Political Involvement
As Nero's tutor, Seneca tried to instill in him the concepts of Stoicism, which he hoped would assist Nero's guideline. Regrettably, Nero ended up being significantly unsteady and promiscuous as he aged.

Seneca took on a significantly political role in this time, functioning as Nero's advisor, writing speeches, and trying to keep Nero's habits in check. He played a crucial function in preserving relations with the provinces, handling finances, and producing laws. Nevertheless, his influential position likewise made him a target for court intrigue and criticism.

Retirement and Final Years
In AD 62, Seneca chose to retire from public life, specifying that he wished to commit himself to philosophy. This decision most likely came from his growing disillusionment with Nero's despotic guideline. He retired to a vacation home outside Rome, where he focused on his writing and continued to correspond with his friends about philosophical topics.

His retirement was short-lived, as Seneca was linked in the Pisonian conspiracy versus Nero in AD 65. Although it stays unsure whether Seneca was really involved in the plot, Nero ordered him to commit suicide. Seneca calmly accepted his fate and fulfilled his death with stoic dignity, in a scene that has been commemorated in numerous artistic works. His partner, Pompeia Paulina, tried to dedicate suicide together with him, but she was conserved by Nero's command.

Tradition
Seneca the Younger's contributions to viewpoint, drama, and statesmanship have left a long lasting impact on Western idea and culture. His works continued to be commonly read and studied in the centuries following his death, and his ideas influenced numerous thinkers, consisting of Renaissance humanists such as Erasmus and Montaigne. Today, Seneca is thought about among the terrific Roman Stoic theorists and his works continue to be studied and valued for their exploration of human nature, ethics, and the mission for a meaningful life.

Our collection contains 126 quotes who is written / told by Seneca, under the main topics: Art - Death - Men - Anger - Health.

Related authors: Publilius Syrus (Poet), Michel de Montaigne (Philosopher), Seneca (Philosopher), Menander (Poet), Claudius (Leader), Junius , Marcus Valerius Martial (Poet), Philo (Philosopher), Wes Bentley (Actor), Alain de Botton (Writer)

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126 Famous quotes by Seneca the Younger

Small: Crime when it succeeds is called virtue
"Crime when it succeeds is called virtue"
Small: Health is the soul that animates all the enjoyments of life, which fade and are tasteless without it
"Health is the soul that animates all the enjoyments of life, which fade and are tasteless without it"
Small: Success is not greedy, as people think, but insignificant. That is why it satisfies nobody
"Success is not greedy, as people think, but insignificant. That is why it satisfies nobody"
Small: Be wary of the man who urges an action in which he himself incurs no risk
"Be wary of the man who urges an action in which he himself incurs no risk"
Small: If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable
"If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable"
Small: Brave men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war
"Brave men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war"
Small: Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing
"Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing"
Small: Ignorant people see life as either existence or non-existence, but wise men see it beyond both existenc
"Ignorant people see life as either existence or non-existence, but wise men see it beyond both existence and non-existence to something that transcends them both; this is an observation of the Middle Way"
Small: The less we deserve good fortune, the more we hope for it
"The less we deserve good fortune, the more we hope for it"
Small: He has committed the crime who profits by it
"He has committed the crime who profits by it"
Small: A kingdom founded on injustice never lasts
"A kingdom founded on injustice never lasts"
Small: True happiness is... to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future
"True happiness is... to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future"
Small: Successful and fortunate crime is called virtue
"Successful and fortunate crime is called virtue"
Small: The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity
"The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity"
Small: The wish for healing has always been half of health
"The wish for healing has always been half of health"
Small: One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood
"One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood"
Small: Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity
"Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity"
Small: When I think over what I have said, I envy dumb people
"When I think over what I have said, I envy dumb people"
Small: The bad fortune of the good turns their faces up to heaven the good fortune of the bad bows their heads
"The bad fortune of the good turns their faces up to heaven; the good fortune of the bad bows their heads down to the earth"
Small: The way is long if one follows precepts, but short... if one follows patterns
"The way is long if one follows precepts, but short... if one follows patterns"
Small: I dont trust liberals, I trust conservatives
"I don't trust liberals, I trust conservatives"
Small: That which is given with pride and ostentation is rather an ambition than a bounty
"That which is given with pride and ostentation is rather an ambition than a bounty"
Small: Believe me, that was a happy age, before the days of architects, before the days of builders
"Believe me, that was a happy age, before the days of architects, before the days of builders"
Small: All art is but imitation of nature
"All art is but imitation of nature"
Small: A sword never kills anybody it is a tool in the killers hand
"A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand"
Small: Constant exposure to dangers will breed contempt for them
"Constant exposure to dangers will breed contempt for them"
Small: Consider, when you are enraged at any one, what you would probably think if he should die during the di
"Consider, when you are enraged at any one, what you would probably think if he should die during the dispute"
Small: Call it Nature, Fate, Fortune all these are names of the one and selfsame God
"Call it Nature, Fate, Fortune; all these are names of the one and selfsame God"
Small: If a man knows not what harbor he seeks, any wind is the right wind
"If a man knows not what harbor he seeks, any wind is the right wind"
Small: He that does good to another does good also to himself
"He that does good to another does good also to himself"
Small: As long as you live, keep learning how to live
"As long as you live, keep learning how to live"
Small: As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters
"As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters"
Small: Anger: an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it i
"Anger: an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured"
Small: Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it
"Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it"
Small: Anger is like those ruins which smash themselves on what they fall
"Anger is like those ruins which smash themselves on what they fall"
Small: All cruelty springs from weakness
"All cruelty springs from weakness"
Small: Great grief does not of itself put an end to itself
"Great grief does not of itself put an end to itself"
Small: God is the universal substance in existing things. He comprises all things. He is the fountain of all b
"God is the universal substance in existing things. He comprises all things. He is the fountain of all being. In Him exists everything that is"
Small: Genius always gives its best at first prudence, at last
"Genius always gives its best at first; prudence, at last"
Small: For many men, the acquisition of wealth does not end their troubles, it only changes them
"For many men, the acquisition of wealth does not end their troubles, it only changes them"
Small: For greed all nature is too little
"For greed all nature is too little"
Small: Expecting is the greatest impediment to living. In anticipation of tomorrow, it loses today
"Expecting is the greatest impediment to living. In anticipation of tomorrow, it loses today"
Small: Everywhere is nowhere. When a person spends all his time in foreign travel, he ends by having many acqu
"Everywhere is nowhere. When a person spends all his time in foreign travel, he ends by having many acquaintances, but no friends"
Small: Everything is the product of one universal creative effort. There is nothing dead in Nature. Everything
"Everything is the product of one universal creative effort. There is nothing dead in Nature. Everything is organic and living, and therefore the whole world appears to be a living organism"
Small: Consult your friend on all things, especially on those which respect yourself. His counsel may then be
"Consult your friend on all things, especially on those which respect yourself. His counsel may then be useful where your own self-love might impair your judgment"
Small: A quarrel is quickly settled when deserted by one party there is no battle unless there be two
"A quarrel is quickly settled when deserted by one party; there is no battle unless there be two"
Small: A punishment to some, to some a gift, and to many a favor
"A punishment to some, to some a gift, and to many a favor"
Small: A physician is not angry at the intemperance of a mad patient, nor does he take it ill to be railed at
"A physician is not angry at the intemperance of a mad patient, nor does he take it ill to be railed at by a man in fever. Just so should a wise man treat all mankind, as a physician does his patient, and look upon them only as sick and extravagant"
Small: A persons fears are lighter when the danger is at hand
"A person's fears are lighter when the danger is at hand"
Small: A mans as miserable as he thinks he is
"A man's as miserable as he thinks he is"
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